"Three Exits" - A Short Talk with Selena Chang

07.13 - Posted by Editor

Still from "Three Exits," directed by Selena Chang	Short Talk with Selena Chang The director discusses her short film"Three Exits," which screens this month at the Asian American Int'l Film Festival in New York   Interview by Chris Castillo

07.13.01 -- "Three Exits" is a poignant short film about a family road trip in which a daughter is in a hurry to grow up while her parents try to hang on to their little girl. Meticulously shot, it was one of the standouts of the VC FilmFest 2001 with fine performances by the cast and confident directing by Selena Chang. AsianAmericanFilm.com's Chris Castillo caught up with Selena at the festival.   AAF   Could you tell me something about the movie?   SC  It's about a young girl on a road trip with her parents and how she deals with being stuck with them and how they deal with her behavior.   Links Screening in New York at 12:30 p.m., Sunday, July 22, 2001, at the Asian American Int'l Film Festival AAF   It seems like they are very loving parents and she's always trying to go against them.   SC  She's a teenager and the last thing she wants to do is spend time with her parents, especially for a long period of time. I look back when I was young and how much of a brat I was to my parents.   AAF   But you sense that the daughter cares for her parents, especially in the beginning.   SC   Yeah, definitely. She might not think about it that much, but deep down inside, she does care.   AAF   There's a scene where it seems that she's on the verge of becoming a woman. She's looking a little sexy...   SC   Yeah, she was being flirtatious with the clerk. It's a coming-of-age and she is discovering new thing and feelings.   AAF   So what where you trying to show and is there an underlying message to the fact that the clerk is Caucasian?   SC   I did it subconsciously. I didn't really think about it. There's no meaning at all. They were driving somewhere where there were not too many Asians.   AAF   How about the smoking scene with the daughter? It's not weed, is it?   SC   No, no, no. People think it is, but it's a cigarette. It's just her being rebellious and starting to experiment with life.   AAF   It's a pretty daring scene because of the content, a child smoking.   SC   Everyone goes through the same path of discovering who we are and what our place is in this world. This signifies the beginning of that journey for her.   AAF   So what were the dynamics between the daughter and the parents, especially the father? He seems like a happy-go-lucky guy. He hardly says anything. He's always smiling. He actually looks like a cartoon. It seems the mother is more in tune with their daughter.   SC   It's based on my parents. There was no conflict between my father and me. It was mostly with my mother. I was Daddy's little girl. Just like the film, the father favors the daughter more since she's his little princess.   AAF   What about the scene where they left their daughter at the store?   SC   It never happened to me. It happened to the brother of a friend of mine when he was little. Their mother left him but they came back right away. It was just to teach him a lesson. So I thought it sounded like a good idea. I set it up where I show that it's the mother's idea and the father is just going along with it.   AAF   The sequence is weird in a sense that an Asian family would be reluctant to do something like that.   SC   I wanted to make sure that it didn't seem too long of a time. I wanted to show a sense of punishment and about teaching her a lesson.   AAF   Finally, as a female filmmaker, what kind of visions are you trying to put out there? Are you going to concentrate on the Chinese experience in America or does it matter? This is one of the major topics right now. There seems to be a battle amongst the Asian filmmakers about staying true to their roots or doing subjects without regards to any ethnicity.   SC   I would like to just concentrate on stories that are universal but I would also like to cast Asians. I don't know if I would write specifically for Asians. This short was not written with an Asian cast in mind. I was picturing an American family and then I just decided to cast Asians because I didn't really think it mattered what color you were since it is a universal story.   AAF   So what are you doing now?   SC   Right now I'm concentrating on getting this film on the festival circuit. I'm also writing a feature script with a friend of mine. Plus I also definitely want to make another short. I have a few ideas in my head but I'm not sure yet.   Chris Castillo is a writer/producer/filmmaker based in Los Angeles. He is currently in post-production on his feature length film "The Sky is Falling" (www.theskyisfalling.net) and in principal photography on the short film "Dream 1972". He serves as president of Cinegang, a Fil-Am collective of filmmakers and artists all over the U.S and Canada. He can be reached at catalystfilms@mediaone.net     Return to top